Attempted Murder Charges Filed After Officer Shot in Delft Hijacking

• An off-duty officer was shot during a hijacking in Delft and sustained injuries to the stomach and grazed the head
• The incident allegedly occurred at a traffic light, suspects escaped in the officer's vehicle
• Delft police registered attempted murder and hijacking cases for investigation after the incident in which the officer was shot and robbed of his vehicle

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

WESTERN CAPE, DELFT - An off-duty law enforcement officer narrowly survived after being shot during a hijacking in Delft early on Sunday morning, 8 March 2026.

Officer sustained a gunshot wound

The City of Cape Town confirmed that the officer is attached to the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) in Philippi East. City law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said the officer sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Read also

Hout Bay grieves as 17-year-old Amiena Swano's identity confirmed after weeks of uncertainty

Police said the officer's head was also grazed by a bullet during the attack. Delft police registered attempted murder and hijacking cases for investigation after the incident in which the officer was shot and robbed of his vehicle. According to reports, the officer had stopped at a red traffic light in Symphony Way when he was approached by unknown suspects who opened fire on him. The suspects fled the scene in the officer’s Volkswagen Polo.

Other crime-related stories

An SAPS officer garnered attention on TikTok for his attempt at maintaining law and order. The man was in pursuit of someone when everything went awry. The SAPS member's disastrous day at work inspired jokes about law enforcement in South Africa. The clip posted on 4 March 2026 amassed a flurry of comments discussing SAPS. The man was clearly running away from someone, and an SAPS officer came chasing after him. The fleeing man effortlessly hopped over a low wooden barrier, but the officer could not handle the obstacle. The officer tried to jump over the barricade but tripped face-first to the ground, then got up and continued chasing the man.

The Western Cape recorded 1,157 murders between October and December 2025, 41 fewer than the same period last year. Despite the slight drop, officials say the province remains at the centre of South Africa’s violent crime crisis. Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile presented the third-quarter crime statistics for the 2025/2026 financial year at a media briefing in Cape Town. While there was a decrease across 17 community-reported crime categories and in contact crimes, serious violent crime remains deeply entrenched.

Read also

Stellenbosch University responds to alleged racism residence incident under police investigation

South Africans have shared their views after 62 experienced detectives were allegedly re-enlisted into the South African Police Service (SAPS). The move is aimed at strengthening crime investigations in the Western Cape. Many of the detectives had previously retired or resigned but have now returned to help boost investigative capacity in a province heavily affected by gang-related crime. Ian Cameron, chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Police, welcomed the development and said the re-enlistment could ease pressure on overburdened detective units.

Source: Briefly News